Not only is Steve Irwin the famed Aussie Crocodile Hunter, but now he’s taking after Michael Jackson. But, instead of dangling his month old child over a three story terrace, he’s dangling his month old infant infront of a hungry 600 pound crocodile.
On Good Morning America this morning, he stated that his father raised him among the crocs at Australia Zoo, so he is simply following suit. He went on further to say, that he would be a bad daddy if he didn’t teach his children what was in their back yard…
Thats fine with me, and I’m sure I’ll alert my children of the hazards of poisonous snakes, poison ivy and getting lost in the woods. I’ll probably start when they’re 3, 4 or 5. In my humble opinion, Steve went waaay overboard this time. Dangling his month old child infront of a beast that could eat him in one gulp is just plain ludicrous.
I think a lot of what the Croc Hunter does is nuts, but this little stunt took the cake in my eyes, Anyone else? What do you think of his antics?*
**Don’t get me wrong, I do think he is good at what he does…I junt think the man has never been told NO, and he is taking it to the extreme now.
Well, I wouldn’t do what he did, but then I don’t know what he knows.
I will mention that the kid was not dangled over the crocodile’s head. It’s the chicken that was dangled over the head of the beast. The baby was held close to Steve (not dangled) on the side of his body that was away from the croc. I understand his wife was in agreement with him, and that a number of his animal handlers were on hand. It wasn’t a rash act.
Frankly, though, I don’t see the point in it. It’s hard to imagine that a month-old child learned from the experience, and while the chances of a mishap may have been very, very small, the consequences of a mishap were huge.
Yeah, everyone’s talking like he was teasing the croc with the baby, not the chicken. Apparently he’s had his other young child around crocs as well, but no one’s raised a fuss until now. I wouldn’t do it if I had kids, but I wouldn’t do most anything Irwin does, either.
I’ll concede he was not dangling the baby over the crocs head…but he was close enough…had he slipped…it could have been disasterous. Watching further footage shows the child being walked around the croc*…with-in 5 feet…
Also, there is footage of his daughter (5) with swimmies on, in the same tank as a croc…doesn’t seem too safe.
The boy is only a month old…so walking is used very loosely, Steve was holding him up…making the lad aoppear to be walking.
I saw the footage - he dangles the chicken from his right hand over the croc’s head, while holding the baby under his left arm, then he appears to turn his back on the croc and, taking the child in both hands under the armpits, makes the child do what amounts to a little dance/walk right along the water’s edge, moving slowly away from the croc.
Foreshortening due to camera angles may have made the croc look closer than it actually was, but I think it was a terribly reckless thing to do and even if the risk was not a huge one, it was serious and pointless.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that it must be OK because he knows what he is doing and he understands the animalsetc…, but I wonder if these people would be happy to let him do that with their children…
To answer the question in the title, no I, personally, wouldn’t, but if I were a treained and learned naturalist who could safely predict crocodiles’ behaviour and had a realistic idea of their abilities, sure I’d enter a crocodile enclosure with my child in my arms.
Although Bindi-Sue swimming in the croc tank was a little much for me.
“What if he slipped and fell?” Well, he didn’t. Bob is intact and probably gleefully peeing himself right now. I am also goaded by the fact that IMHO, people should start being a little more cavalier with their kids. There are too many parents who raise their children in a bubble, a la Marlin in Finding Nemo, and never let anything happen to them.
Hold the phone there buddyl… he didn’t “dangle” him “in front of” the croc… he was holding him in his left arm, and dangling a dead chicken in his right arm, for the croc to eat.
Isn’t there a big difference between allowing your children to take risks of their own volition, as part of their development, and deliberately exposing them to completely unnecessary risks without their consent (or before they are able to express consent)?
Had he hacked the infant limb from limb with a cake knife and distributed the bloody chunks among the zoo’s various carnivores, it could have been even more disastrous.
I bet he drives that baby to the store in a car too. You know how dangerous that is? You know how many babies die in car accidents every year? Or what about people who let their children ride on the back of their Harley?!
What he did doesn’t even compare to what MJ did.
To answer the question: “No.” I would not do with my child (if I had one) what Steve did with his. But, I wouldn’t even be in that croc pit solo!! I think this has been blown out of proportion.
If you were a SANE trained and learned naturalist, no, you would not. Zoologists and animal keepers avoid contact with dangerous animals as much as they possibly can. In most zoos they no longer even enter the living space of large animals unless the animal is tranquilized.
Irwin knows a lot about animals but he’s also arrogant and reckless, and he apparently knows very little about the principles of safety. He took his baby in there because he was showing himself off. He acted stupidly. No, he’s not Michael Jackson, but it was quite stupid.
I agree with most, it isn’t something I’d do with my kids… but in Steve’s defense, he has been raised all of his life with those dangerous animals… I’m pretty sure (not one hundred percent) that he knew what he was doing. After such a long time around crocs he probably knows their behaviors, especially the one he was feeding on that show.